This invention is directed to a steering column switch for motor vehicles of the type which is operable to independently control three different electrical circuits by manipulation of a single lever type actuator.
Steering column switches are known whose switch level can be moved in three different ways. The lever may be pivotable about two axes perpendicular to each other and the longitudinal axis of the lever and may be rotatable about its longitudinal axis. In order to make possible these kinds of motion a carrier is mounted in the switch housing so that it is rotatable about a first axis. The switch lever itself is mounted in the carrier in such a way that it can be pivoted relative to the carrier about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The switch lever includes a handle and a switch rod rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the switch lever.
Pivotal movement of the lever upon the carrier and the rotation of the switch lever are mostly transmitted onto contact pieces via operating studs of the switch lever and possibly available other intermediate members, which contact pieces are positioned directly over the base plate of the switch housing. It is thereby difficult to support the carrier well in the switch housing.
In a steering column switch which is known from the German laid open print DE-OS 2 512 225 and whose switch lever can in addition to a horizontal plane also be moved in a vertical plane, and in a steering column switch known from the German laid open print DE-OS 2 823 809 whose switch lever can additionally be moved also about its longitudinal axis there is an intermediate cover plate fixedly mounted in the switch housing, in which intermediate cover plate in addition to the bearing in the cover of the housing there is another bearing for the carrier. Just as in the steering column switch according to the DE-OS 2 512 225 the movement of the switch lever has in this case to be transmitted to the contact pieces through an aperture in the intermediate cover plate or, as according to the DE-OS 2 823 809, round the intermediate cover plate. This can necessitate complicated operating studs and complicated intermediate members or can mean a complicated shape of the intermediate cover plate. It can also be difficult to transmit the various motions of the switch lever onto several contact pieces when the space is narrow.
Therefore, as known from the DE-OS 2 508 178, the intermediate cover plate has been omitted and the carrier has only been supported in the cover of the switch housing.
The invention is directed to the problem of developing an electric switch in such a way that by retaining a double bearing for the carrier it is possible to transmit with simple parts and in a narrow space a vertical motion and/or a rotation of the switch lever about its longitudinal axis onto one or several slides located between the base plate and the intermediate cover plate of the switch housing.
In an electric switch according to the invention the switch lever is thus coupled with a slide directly through a bearing of the carrier. Additional apertures in the intermediate cover plate outside the bearing or complicated parts in order to circumvent the intermediate cover plate are thus not necessary.
Thus it is preferred that the switch lever carries an adjusting ring rotatively fixed, but axially slidable on a switch rod of the switch lever which encompasses by means of two wings a pin extending through the hollow pin which mounts the carrier on the intermediate plate. The point of application of the switch lever on the pin can be provided quite close to the switch rod, if the adjusting ring is open towards the switch rod between the wings. A good stability of the adjusting ring is retained if it is closed axially beside the wings towards the switch rod.
It is also advantageous that the switch lever, preferably via its adjusting ring, is coupled with the slide via an intermediate member and the intermediate member is linearly displaceably guided in the intermediate cover plate.
The range of motion of the slide need not be symmetrical relative to the axis of the carrier if the space conditions on the slide require that the intermediate member acts upon the slide outside the center.
An adjusting ring acts as a spring-loaded locking element which is movable along the switch rod and pressed against a counterpart by a spring, which counterpart is at rest when the switch lever is rotated about its longitudinal axis. It is even of advantage to use the adjusting ring as a locking element, if the switch lever is not coupled with the slide through the bearing of the carrier, but otherwise. The spring acting upon the adjusting ring can be used for another function, if another ring movable along the switch rod is fitted on it, which ring serves as a locking element for the swivelling motion of the switch lever relative to the carrier and if the spring, surrounding the switch rod, is braced between the adjusting ring and the other ring.
A slide potentiometer can be arranged on the base plate of the switch housing. The linearly movable slide of said potentiomter is adjustable upon a rotation of the switch lever about its longitudinal axis.
An electric switch has two linearly movable slides, wherein the second slide is guided in the first slide transversely to the moving direction of the latter. Furthermore the second slide is coupled via the switch lever via an intermediate member with regard to which the second slide is adjustable in the moving direction of the first slide. By a construction of this kind it is achieved in a simple manner that a swivelling motion of the switch lever adjusts both slides and a rotation of the switch lever about its longitudinal axis only the intermediate member and the second slide or vice versa. A design of this kind is especially favourable, if the same electric circuit is affected by operating the switch lever in one way and by operating the switch lever the other way. This design is therefore especially suitable to switch on the driving light of the motor vehicle and to change over between low beam and high beam. Only one bridging contact carried by the second slide is necessary for both functions and only three stationary contacts are needed.
The first slide carries advantageously a bridging contact provided for switching on the headlight flasher.